I am so glad to have found this forum, and I'm appreciative for any advice you all have to offer!
When our son was four, he started blinking excessively. We took him to his pediatrician for this, and she suggested that it would just go away on its own, and not to worry. Well, it did go away, but it was replaced about a month after its absence by a neck jerk, arm and leg jerk, and sometimes whole body jerk (I think he also did a grunt/throat clearing, but I can't remember fully). We took him back to the pediatrician, and she referred us to a pediatric neurologist. I feel that the pediatric neurologist we saw (not the one we were referred to, but the one who had an opening that wasn't half a year away) was not very helpful. She did some observations of our son and asked a decent amount of questions, but, really, nothing was asked about his diet, testing for allergies, etc. (which I have learned since then seem to be very valid considerations when dealing with tics). At any rate, we left being told to contact them if we feel he needs to be seen again, but armed with nothing concrete to do or try involving our son's situation. The tics eventually stopped for about a month again, then were replaced with the current tics of 1) a gasp followed by a grunt/throat clearing, and 2) repeatedly saying "YEAH" or "OKAY" in conjunction with a grunt/throat clearing. I think there are a few other little things that he does as well, but I need to be better about keeping things documented so I can have clear remembrance of everything. We have five little boys, ages 2 months, 1, 2, 3, and 5, and one due in May, so things are busy enough here as it is...! :o/
I guess I'm just not sure where to start with trying to "remedy" the situation. I did schedule an appointment for the beginning of January with the pediatric neurologist we were originally referred to. I'm hoping to have better luck with him. Also, I've considered taking our son to an environmental medicine physician (?), to see if he has any allergies or sensitivities to certain foods, chemicals, etc. Does anyone know, for that, if you generally need a referral from your pcp?
From a young age, we did suspect allergies/asthma in our son. He's always had a raspy voice, and I've constantly wondered if allergies could have something to do with that. He also gets winded very easily - much quicker, it seems, than other kids do. This doesn't stop him from being active, overall, but I do notice that if he tries to run very fast for a short period of time, or tries to go on a slight uphill on his bike, he is gasping and out of breath very quickly (whereas his three year old brother is going up the same hill on his bike with not one complaint, and not winded). If he does have allergies/asthma, how does that, or could that, relate to his tics?
I know we have that appointment coming up in about a month and a half, but I just feel that I need to do/try something NOW. My husband is very suspicious of removing things from his diet, or thinking that toxins in his environment could be at least partly at fault for his tics, but I'm willing to try anything that might help my son. Do you remove one thing at a time, and see if that helps? I have Celiac disease, so removing wheat from his diet wouldn't be as big of an adjustment for us as, say, removing dairy, or sugars, or corn (dairy, especially, is a big part of his diet...and even though he's really not a big sweets person, I know how many things (yogurt, breakfast sausages, even cereals that are considered "healthy",etc.) have sugars added into them). How long do you remove each thing before being able to ascertain whether it's a trigger or not?
I'm sorry this post is so long. I could probably continue on with my concerns and questions for another few pages, but I think I'll spare you all. ; )
Thank you so much, in advance, for your help!!
Sarah
